Dont get me wrong, it *sounds* like an extremely dumb question but let me explain. If I put my hand in an ant hill, they will immediately bite me. But say I threw a rock or stick in their hill, do they attempt to bite said rock/stick? If not, how can they tell a difference
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Ants are defending their colony from a threat, and the only way they can attack (or really do anything) is by biting. Think of it like a Godzilla style of scenario – if a giant organism attacked a city, people aren’t just going to run away, there will be a great effort by the inhabitants to deal with the threat.
Also, yes they do try to attack inanimate objects, because again it’s a threat to their home. I actually found this interesting article: [Ants cause equipment failure in the French Alps](https://www.thebmc.co.uk/abseil-slings-when-ants-attack), where biting releases formic acid (named after ants, *Formica*) that can corrode materials.
An ant’s mandibles are the primary way in which they interact with objects, they don’t have hands or prehensile tails to grab an object. With this in mind I wouldn’t call what they’re doing with their mouths a “bite” as you and I understand it. If you’re trying to move something that’s in your way you would use your hands, if an ant encounters a blockade the only way it can try to move it is with its mouth. The only way it can attempt to break it down into a small enough piece to move is with its mouth. The only way it can know with 100% certainty that something is too hard or heavy to break or move is with its mouth.
Smell. Ants are extremely sensitive to smell and pheromones, and while you might not be able to tell, you give off plenty. Ants know immediately that you are a foreign *living* threat to their hill and they will attack you if just to try and make you go away.
Rocks and sticks will register as not being alive and rather something that they will have to move themselves or build around. They are usually familiar with natural occurences that may disrupt the colony, but once they stop moving, rocks and sticks aren’t threats to them.
what else are they supposed to do against an attacker that massively outsizes them in order to defend their hive?
Most ant species will use a combination of their mandibles or if they have them their stingers(species that have stinger also will have some form of mild poison) and the scheme of their hive losing a few doing this is worth it if it means the hive is safe and the attacker is disabled. i n fact their default plan vs an attacker is to swarm them and bite into them.
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